Timid Ranger Part Two:

Six-year-old DJ was already dressed in his white shirt and blue overalls while playing by himself in his playroom. His parents have finally been divorced and his father gained full custody of him. Ever since then, DJ was constantly being upset with everyone because of the entire situation. There was hardly anything his father could do to help him.

Then the doorbell rang. DJ was curious as he walked out of his playroom and down the hall towards the front door, where he found his father standing by with an officer who had a hat in his hands.

"Are you Mr. Monroe Tee?" the elderly officer asked.

Monroe raised an eyebrow. "Yes, what is the meaning of this?"

The officer shook his head. "I'm sorry, sir, but your ex-wife got into an accident and she...she didn't make it."

Right then and there, it felt as if time had frozen. Monroe's breathing hitched as he took in what was being told. DJ, despite being six years of age, could fully understand what was going on and he...he became a wreck.

For the next few days, all DJ did was cry. Either by himself or breaking down in his dad's arms. He cried so much that he became sick. There was nothing his family, especially his dad, could ever bring him back to normal.

At the funeral, he completely shut down. He didn't speak for weeks. At the time, Monroe's business firm blew up and he started to make more money, and DJ couldn't believe that his father was much happier just because he was making more money. In DJ's mind, his father never cared for his mother, and it was the divorce that led to his mother's death.

Over time, DJ's grudge against his father grew. By the time he was thirteen, the grudge began to subside a little, but to this day. It was still visible.

There was an echoing in his mind. Sounded like a woman's voice.

"You stupid little shit! What's wrong with you? I never cared for you! Go away!" His mother screamed before smacking him across the face.

DJ screamed and awoke with a start. He was drenched in sweat and was hyperventilating. He looked around in his darkroom and realized it was just another nightmare. More like a flashback. He laid back down and took a deep breath, but then sighed as he realized it was daylight outside and he needed to get ready for the day. There were only a few weeks left of summer vacation. Might as well not waste it.

Back at Kartae, Psychorica was standing before Po as the master himself was sitting on his throne. The female Humanitor dropped to one knee in respect as she spoke.

"Sire, I can personally say that I have exceeded your expectation."

Po grunted a little. "How so?"

Psychorica stood up. "I have hindered the Blue Ranger's mind. My readings show that he has experienced terrifying nightmares that left him unable to help his friends out the previous day."

Po smirked as he stood up and approached Psychorica. "Excellent. However, we can't just stop there."

"I know, sire. I can tell you the fun has yet to come."

Po raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean?"

"The nightmares will continue for the next few days until it finally drives him mad. He will go on an ultimate rage, and there will be nobody else that he will take his anger out on besides his friends, as we won't be near him when he finally snaps." Psychorica snickered. "He will destroy his fellow friends, and he won't be able to help himself."

Po's eyes widened in satisfaction. "Well done, Psychorica. I like your style."

Psychorica giggled as she turned and made her way out. She couldn't fathom how she would be the one to eliminate the remaining Rangers.

At the mall, Maya and Max decided that it would be convenient to purchase some new attire for when they return to school the next month. They entered the mall and walked through the busy seating area at the food court.

Then something caught Maya's eye. She tapped Max's shoulder to get him to stop walking. She then pointed at a table at the far end corner of the seating area, where DJ sat, playing with his food with a depressed and exhausted look on his face. Both of his friends grew worried as they began to walk towards him. Once they reached him, it didn't take long for him to notice their presence.

He looked up and spoke weakly. "Oh, hey guys. What's up?"

Maya and Max grew concerned. DJ looked awful. There were tear stains on his cheeks. His eyes were bloodshot and bags underneath, his normally organized puffy hair was now a complete mess, and most importantly, he looked completely miserable.

Maya pulled up a chair and sat next to DJ, while Max did the same and sat next to his friend from the other side.

"DJ, what's up with you?" Maya asked, rubbing her friend's back up and down to comfort him.

"I'm-I'm fine," DJ spoke.

"Bull!" Max exclaimed. "Why do you look tired? Did you even sleep at all last night?"

DJ felt a twinge of annoyance growing in his chest. "I just was stupid enough to drink too much coffee late at night."

"Okay, tired, I would understand. But why do you look miserable? Were you crying?"

DJ cupped his cheeks. "No..."

"Then why is your face stained?" Maya asked sternly, folding her arms.

Now DJ was getting extremely irritated. "I would like to be alone, please." He spoke with a stern look, before standing up and grabbing his cup of Dr. Pepper. He tried to walk away, but Max and Maya followed him.

"Not until you tell us what is wrong with you?" Maya spoke.

DJ stopped and turned around, glaring at his friends. "Guys, please," he took a deep breath before letting it out. "I would like to be alone."

Max snapped. "We want to help you!"

"I don't need your help!"

"Yes, you do! so please just stop let us-"

Right then and there, DJ interrupted his friend by taking off the lid of his cup and splashing soda on Max's face. Max was stunned and Maya gasped. They both stared at DJ with shock. His face was a deep shade of him, and he was huffing and puffing in anger before turning around and walking away, leaving his friends there dumbstruck by his behavior.

Max wiped his face with his sleeve before pulling up his phone and dialing up Ellie's number. After a few rings, she finally answered.

"Hello?'

"Hey, Ellie," Max answered. "Do you mind if Maya and I drop by to see you and your dad for a bit? We have a lot to discuss."

"Psychorica!" Po called out from his throne.

Just then, Psychrorica appeared and spoke sweetly. "Yes, sire, what can I do for you?"

"I need you to cause some more human misery and destroy those Rangers once and for all."

Psychorica bowed down to her master. "Yes, sire."

"And he just stormed out of our sight!" Max finished. He and Maya decided to drop by at the dojo to explain to their Sensei, who was standing beforehand listening, about everything that happened at the mall and how DJ has been acting lately.

Uni turned and crossed his arms, looking down sadly. "I see...this is something I recognize from the monster you guys fought the other day." He then looked up at his daughter. "Ellie, dear, look up the monster's description."

Ellie nodded from her chair before turning to her monitor. She began some typing on the Karate Website before pulling out the name 'Psychorica'. A page featuring her description and picture pulled up.

She squinted her eyes as she spoke up. "Her name is Psychorica, and her specialty is to cause mayhem, of course, but also hinder a person's mind so they would experience excessive amounts of nightmares. Therefore, this may cause fear and aggression so great that said victim will soon take it out on his or her friends and peers. She and DJ already had an encounter before you guys fought with her and she may have cast a spell upon him to obtain these sort of nightmares."

The anger and disappointment Maya and Max received from the mall quickly dissolved into sadness and understanding. They knew from the start that DJ would never take his anger out of his friends, especially if they were never involved in anything that would anger him in the first place.

"What can we do?" Maya spoke up.

Ellie did some research before finding a page that brought her hopes up. "The main reversal of the monster's effects is to simply get the person to open up to what is troubling them, and it would take a stupid amount of persuasion to break the monster's spell."

"How can we do that?" Max asked.

"By doing nothing..." A voice responded from behind the two rangers. Maya and Max turned around and found DJ entering the dojo through the portal. He still had a ticked-off expression on his face, but at least he managed to clean himself up a bit.

"DJ, I-" Max began but was interrupted when the Humanitor Disturbance Alarm, or HDA for short, went off.

Uni turned towards Max and Maya. "You two, go deal with that monster." He then glanced over at DJ with a solemn expression. "Dean-Jamal, I would like for you to stay behind for a bit. I would like to discuss with you."

Maya and Max looked over at DJ, who simply grunted defeatedly. They both were sad expressions on their faces as they walked off and into the portal, exiting the dojo.

DJ took a seat at sat at one of the seating pillows around the traditional Japanese table. His arms were crossed he glanced down to his knees.

Uni sat next to DJ and spoke solemnly. "DJ, what is troubling you?"

"Nothing..." DJ mumbled.

"If that was true, then you wouldn't be acting this way. We know the monster has affected you in some way, and we know that you have been suffering through nightmares, or perhaps your past, and it is best to let them out. It is the only way to break the Humanitor's spell and finally be free from this mental torture."

DJ looked up at Uni surprisingly. He thought about it for a while before realizing that he had nothing to lose with telling a man that he trusted about whatever was troubling him.

DJ sighed before speaking up and telling his story. "I blame myself for my mom's death. From when I was a baby, she and my dad had marital problems. She would drink often and things only got worse after she lost her job. That's when the fights exploded and from then on she would take her anger and frustration out on me, blaming me for her and my father's hardships, though my father disagreed, and stood up for me. Then one night..."

DJ paused as he felt the need for tears to breakthrough. Uni put a hand around on his shoulder so DJ could continue.

"Then one night my mother went out, probably to go to the bar. Soon after, a police officer came to our house to tell me and my father that...my mother got into an accident and she...she died."

DJ couldn't hold it in any as he buried his head into his hands and let out a few sobs. Ellie stood by her computer with a sad expression on her face. She realized now what made DJ the hard-like kid she knew him to be. She at times disliked DJ for his sarcastic behavior, but now she realized the hardship he went through.

DJ finally managed to get a hold of himself as he sniffled, crossing his arms slightly. "I'm sorry you had to see that Sensei..."

Uni only shook his head as he spoke. "It's alright, son. I went through this similar stage with my father."

DJ looked up at Uni with a surprised look on his face. "You have?"

"Yes, I wasn't an easy child growing up, and up until I was six my father was growing tired of raising a child, let alone a child like me. He simply wanted to let go of his family and move on to 'better things'. When I was 8, he finally departed from my life, and it devastated both me and my mother. That's when I became interested in Karate to let out my frustration. I stopped hanging out with my friends and decided to grow up at such a young age. However, you DJ, you should follow in my footsteps as young as you are. I blamed myself for my dad leaving, and you probably blamed yourself for your mother's death. Correct?"

DJ nodded.

"However, you have to realize that the past is history, and tomorrow is a mystery. You can NEVER let your dark past cast shadows over your bright future. You are one energetic and bright young boy, DJ. Never forget that."

DJ's expression brightened a bit as his nerves soon began to diminish. He widen his eyes as he began to breathe easily, a sign that Psychorica's spell has been broken.

"Wow, I feel a lot better!" He said excitedly as he got up and stretched his arms. "I legit have no worries now."

Uni smiled and stood up, accepting the hug DJ offered him. "Thank you so much Sensei!" DJ said with gratitude.

Ellie folded her arms and smirked at her father. "I guess you finally broke the spell."

Uni chuckled slightly as he pulled away from the hug. "I am happy you are back to being normal, DJ. Now, quickly! Your friends need help!"

DJ nodded sternly as he turned and held his right hand out. His gem appeared and he raised his left-hand high. He aimed his right hand holding the gem forward.

"CALL INTO COMBAT!" He called out as he slap the top of the gem, causing it to glow and activate.

Part 3 coming soon...